Basilica di San Francesco – Ravenna

Built by Archbishop Neon in the 5th Century, the church of San Francesco was extended between the 9th and 10th centuries. It was renamed San Pietro Maggiore in the year 1000 when the interior underwent restoration. The Franciscans took it back in 1261 and renamed it after their founder. It had another restoration in 1921.

rather plain San Francesco

The part of the church that fascinated me was the crypt beneath the alter. It has been flooded by water for centuries but the mosiacs are still mostly intact.

the underground crypt

the mosaics are still intact after centuries under water

People certainly built things to last back then. I wonder if they could have imagined the hundreds of thousands of people who would come to admire their work over the centuries.